Industry News by Nemesis

Blues Up, Pinks Down in 2017 Index

February 6, 2018

Fancy color diamond prices were flat in 2017, signaling some weakness in pink and yellow diamonds during the year, according to the Fancy Color Research Foundation (FCRF).

The overall index for fancy color diamonds edged up 0.1%, with fancy pink diamonds declining 0.8% and yellows down 1.8%, the organization said. Fancy blue diamonds continued to outperform with their index, rising 5.9% during the year. Fancy intense and fancy vivid blues showed the best performance, primarily in the 1-carat and 5-carat categories.

The FCRF maintained an optimistic outlook for fancy color diamonds, mainly due to low availability in the market.

“We are seeing a stagnant supply picture of important pink and blue fancy color diamonds. Rare pinks and blues are very hard to come by, and continue to command significant premiums,” said Eden Rachminov, chairman of the FCRF’s advisory board. “After more than 18 months [of declines], we are starting to see some price stability in commercial yellow fancy color diamonds, in line with the performance of white diamonds, driven by lower availability.”

During the fourth quarter, the Fancy Color Diamond Index rose 0.1%, with pink diamonds down 0.4%, and yellows falling 0.6%, while blue-diamond prices firmed by 2.6%. Meanwhile, the RapNet Diamond Index (RAPI™) for 1-carat diamonds softened by 0.8% during the same period.

The Fancy Color Diamond Index tracks prices of yellow, pink and blue fancy color diamonds in Hong Kong, New York and Tel Aviv.